Spring gate flux dam for galvanizing kettles



March 13, 1951 M. HAYES SPRING GATE FLUX DAM FOR GALVANIZING KETTLES Filed July 16, 1948 INVENTOR. M HAEL fifiY/E ATTORNEYS undesirable surface finish. I?

UNITED STATES QFFICEL areas/5c P NG GATE rmx pm r'oa GALV NIZING KETTLE'S.

Michael Hayes, Dundalk, Ma, assignor toRhecm Manufacturing flompany san Francisco flalifi, a corpor tion or Qaliforma' Application July 16, 1948,, Serial No. 39,128

This invention relates to apparatus for in the plating or coating of articles by the submersion of the articles in a bath of plating or coating medium, and, while not necessarily lime ited thereto, is particularly adapted to appae.

ratus for use in the galvanizing of ferrous articles.

In the galvanizing of ferrous articles, the articles, after preliminary treatment, are submerged in a bath of molten zinc for a length of time sufilcient to allow a zinc coating of the desired thickness to form thereon. Ordinarily the portion of the bath of molten zinc into which the articles are submerged is covered with a supernatant flux layer, such as a layer of ammonium chloride or zinc ammonium chloride, which gradually will liberate chlorine and serve to provide the final cleaning of the surfaces of the articles as they are lowered therethrough into the. molten zinc. How-ever; the surface of that portion of the bath'from which the articles are withdrawn should be maintained free from flux, for otherwise particles of the flux would ad'- here to the coated articles as they are withdrawn and leave them with an unsatisfactory and wholl flux at that end of the bath of molten zinc where the articles are submerged, and the articles have been so, manipulated by the operators as to cause them to pass, beneath the dam and into the bright en of the kettle. The application of Richards.

'Rheem and Robert D. Patterson, Ser. No. 5'78,

f led January 5, 1948', now Patent No. 2,520,658, discloses a method and apparatus for galvanizing ferrous articles in whichv the articles to be galvanized are supported by hooks from; a continuously-moving overhead conveyor which has a path of travel such that the suspended articles are automatically lowered through the flux layer into the molten zinc at the immersion endof the zinc kettle, carried, submerged, through the zinc kettle, and, finally withdrawn at the bright end of the kettle. The apparatus shown therein for 2 the.- fiux-covered portion of the surface of the molten zinc bath to the bright end of the kettle. Also, the. shanks of the: supporting hooks tend to drag: some of the flux through such opening...

The present invention contemplates. apparatus for confining a flux or similar layer toone portion of the surface of a body of liquid coating medium, while permitting supporting means tor the articles-to be coated to. pass. therethroueh; and particularlya flu-X clam for use in a galvanizkettle which may form part of an automatic Heretofore a dam has been placed across "top portion of the zinc kettle to maintain-the galvanizing system of the. general nature. of that disclosed in the. above-mentioned application.

More. specifically, the. present; invention contemplates a flux dam or similar restrictive and confining. apparatus. comprising a pair of, dams which extend only slightly below the. surface of the liquid coating material. and which extend inwardly from opposite sides of the kettle and hare auxiliary dams pivotally attached to their inner ends- The auxiliary dams are. spring urged into: contact with one another in such a. manner that. they may be separated by the. article-sup,- pcrting means; to allow for their passage. therehetween but. at all other times are in contact with. oneanother serving to prevent: any flux-from passing between their adjacent: ends. Preferably the spring means for normally urging the auxiliary dams intocontactv with one another are located on the, outer sides of the kettle at. a place where they will be. less. subject to the heat: from molten zinc in the. kettle.

The invention will be further described in connection with. the accompanying drawings which show an embodiment of the invention particularly adapted. for confining a layer of flux to the. immersion end of a. galvanizing kettle. However, it. is to: be understood that such further and detailed description is merely by way of exemplification and the invention is not limited thereby, except to the extent set forth inthe appended claims.

In thedrawings:

Figure I is a plan view of a galvanizing kettle walls of the kettle.

disposed across the kettle adjacent the immersion end. The dams are positioned opposite one another and extend inwardly from the opposite sides of the kettle. Auxiliary dam members or gates l and 8 are mounted upon the inner ends of the dams and B by means of brackets 9 and I0, attached to the auxiliary dams, and are pivotally connected thereto by pivot pins H and I2. The lower edges of the main dams, as well as the lower edges of the auxiliary dams, ex tend slightly below the surface of the molten zinc,

but not a sufiicient distance therebelow} to-'ihterfere with the free passage beneath them'of the articles being galvanized? The upper "edge'si of the main and auxiliary dams extend above the surface of the molten zinc a distance sum- 5 cient to maintain a layer l3 of fiuxon the molten zinc between them and the adjacent ends of the kettle.

The auxiliary dams extend forwardly of the main dams in the direction of travel of the articles through the bath, and normally converge toward one another and have their distal ends contacting one another so as to prevent the passage of flux between them.

The auxiliary dams are maintained in their normal position with their distal ends in contact by spring urged rods i i and l5,'which are, at all times, forcibly urged into contact with their outer faces. The ends of the .spring urged rods may be connected to the faces of the auxiliary dams which they contact, or, if desirable, may

.through openings in the outer ends of brackets 18 and I9 secured to the outer faces of the side Collars 29 and 2! are secured to the rods just outwardly of the side walls of the kettle. ,Coil

ends of the brackets under compression, so that they exert a force on the rods such as to normally maintain the distal ends of the'auxiliary .dam

members in engaging contact.

Thus, as the article-supporting hoolrs traverse the body of molten zinc, their shanks successively contact the distal ends of the auxiliary dams forcing them apart against the action of the coil springs a distance sufficient to permit the passage of-the shanks between them. As the free or distal ends of the auxiliary dams are constantly urged toward one another by the springs, a wiping action is provided on the shanks of the hooks as they pass between the free ends ofthe dams tainer for a bath of molten zinc adapted to have Y a layer supernatant flux thereon, means for confining supernatant flux to one portion of'a bath of molten zinc in the container as articles to I be galvanized are being passed therethrough which comprise main dams extending inwardly from opposite sides of the container, auxiliary gener st ie ins i e e d portion sn l y nected to the inner end of one of the main danis, said main dams and auxiliary dams having their lower edges spaced from the bottom of the container a distance sufilcient to permit articles to 5 be coated to pass thereunder, and spring means for urging the distal ends of the auxiliary dams into contact, said spring means comprising spring mountings on the outer surfaces of the opposite side walls of the container, and members extendiingfrom said spring mountings through apertures in the sides of the container to abutting :relation with the auxiliary dams.

"2. In a metal coating apparatus including a container for molten metal adapted to have a is supernatant layer or nux thereon, means for conlining flux to one portion of the molten metal as articles are .be1ng passed horizontally therethrough which comprises damming means extending from a side wall of the container toward 9,0 the opposite side wall, said damming means extending upwardly from the normal level of the interface between the molten metal and a supernatant ayer 01 Iiux, said damming means com.- prislng a nxed portion and a gate portion movfable horizontally relative to the fixed portion in a direction transversely of the ad acent part of the nxed portion to permit passage of article'- supportlng means past the damming means'a'nd simultaneous advancement of the articles horizontally through the molten metal, said relatively movab e gate portion beingyleldaoly restrained against horizontal movement relative tothe fixed portion. p 3. Metal coating apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which the relatively movablegate portion'of the damming means is hinged to the fixed portion about a vertical axis. "I

e. Metal coating apparatuses set forth in claim 2 in which the means yieldably restraining the ill relatively movable gate portion of the damming means includes spring means.

5. Metal coating apparatus as set forth 'in claim 2 in which the damming meansis spaced from the bottom of the container a distance sufiicientto permit the passage of articles being coated thereunder. V V -6.;Metal coating apparatus as set forth-in claim 2 in which the means yieldably restraining the relatively movable gate portion of. the damso ,ming means is in part mounted on the .side of the container, bears against the relatively mov able portion of the damming means and includes spring means mounted outside of the container. 7.1:: a metal coating apparatus including a container for molten metal adapted to have a supernatant layer of flux thereon, means for confining flux to one portion of the molten metal as articles-are being passed horizontallytherethrough which comprises damming meansextending inwardly from opposite edges of the con- .tainer and upwardly from the normal level of the interface between the molten metal and'a supernatant layer of flux, the damming means extending inwardly from each of the .opposite G sides of the container comprising a fixed portion and, a gate hingedly connected to the fixed portion about a vertical axis, the distal edges of said gates being positioned sufficiently close to one another to cooperativelymaintain fiux on the molten metal behind the damming means, said gates being movable about their hinged connection to the respective fixed portions of the damming means in a forward direction to permit passage of article-supporting means past the damming means and simultaneous advancement of MICHAEL HAYES.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,787,141 Carroll Dec. 30, 1930 1,883,427 Wendle Oct. 18, 1932 1,934,577 Wendle Nov. 7, 1933 10 1,971,220 Hunker Aug. 21, 1934 

